


Comfortember 29: Build Something Beautiful

by FlyinBanachab



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post Promised Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27810277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyinBanachab/pseuds/FlyinBanachab
Summary: 5 years after the promised day, Roy and Riza spend an afternoon in the market of New Ishval's capital city.
Relationships: Heymans Breda/Maria Ross, Rebecca Catalina/Kain Fuery, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Kudos: 20
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	Comfortember 29: Build Something Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last of my Comfortember pieces and serves as a coda to the whole thing.

The warm breeze ruffles Riza's bangs as she strolls through the bazaar. Overhead a net stretches between buildings, dappling the stalls and cobblestones with bright little blobs of sun. It's Sunday morning, market day in Lowestown, and it’s bustling, a riot of colors and smells. Half the city must be here--which is really saying something, these days.

Riza walks slowly, taking it all in, saving the feeling of Roy's fingers loosely intertwined with hers. They're dressed casually, just here to shop, just another pair of light-skinned tourists--but even in straw hat and sunglasses, people still recognize them.   


_"General, General!"_ the vendors shout from their stalls.   


_"A pretty dress for your pretty captain!"_

_"Spices from Xing! The only real cinnamon in the market!"_

_"Free samples just for you, General!"_   


It's all good-natured, today; the vendors all want to say _General Mustang shopped here_. What a change from five years ago.   


Roy gives Riza a sheepish "what can do you" smile before coming to an abrupt halt in front of a flower shop.  


"General, welcome welcome!" The shopkeeper waves from behind the counter.  


Roy stares around the stall, mouth agape. "Are you growing these here? In the desert?"  


"Oh yes! My home, thirty miles south. Only place in Ishval flowers can grow."  


"They're beautiful," Riza says, genuinely. It’s been a long time since she’s seen flowers like this.  


"General,” the vendor sing-songs, “your lady says she likes the flowers."  


Roy laughs and produces his wallet. "Give me a bouquet fit for the world's most beautiful woman."  


The florist grins and starts pulling stems.  


"Roy," she protests weakly as the pile grows, "I'm going to have to carry that all day."  


Roy gives her a mischievous grin, the one that always makes her heart skip. "Yes, you are." He hands her the bouquet; it smells heavenly.  


Around the corner, they run into Breda and Maria, also enjoying a day off. He's got his arm around her waist, she's leaning into him and laughing. To think he would have killed her, if Roy had asked. Without hesitation. Breda spots them and waves.  


"Hey, Dex and Birdie! Long time no see!" Riza smiles. She hates the nickname, but she’s glad to have one.  


“Hello, _Heymans_ , Maria,” Riza returns with a sparkle in her eyes. Equivalent exchange: he hates his first name.  


Breda points to the flowers, eyebrows raised. "Damn Dex, how bad'd you fuck up?"  


Roy scoffs. "A baseless and telling assumption. Maria, you can do so much better. Find a man who buys you flowers just because you're beautiful."  


Maria looks Breda square in the eyes and deadpans, "Yeah, maybe I should."  


Breda heaves an enormous sigh. "Goddammit Mustang. Where's the flower stall?"  


They point him that way, and they head off, Maria cackling gleefully. Roy is still chuckling to himself, which makes Riza smile in return. She never takes a moment of lightheartedness for granted.  


The market is busy today. Rounding another corner, they find Rebecca and Kain, laden with bags, Concorde Blue trotting happily alongside. Too bad she’d left Black Hayate at home today.  


"Riza!!" her friend cheers, dropping her bags and wrapping her in an enthusiastic hug.  


"Hi Becca," Riza laughs. They just saw each other three days ago! "Doing some shopping?"  


"Yep!" She chirps. "We found the flea market section. Bar junk for me, radio junk for him."  


Kain nods vigorous agreement. "You should see her barter, she's really amazing." His voice takes on a tinge of awe. It always does, when he talks about her.  


Rebecca grins, throws her arm around his neck, and kisses him on the temple. "Oh, that's just for fun. HE's the amazing one, I can't get over how he can just take a pile of garbage and--” she waves her hands dramatically-- “turn it into cool stuff." Kain ducks his head, and Riza can practically hear him thinking _Not in front of the general!_ even after all this time.

"Nice flowers, by the way. What's the occasion?"  


"Hey, I don't need an occasion!" Roy protests.  


Rebecca regards him with a faux-critical gaze. "Hmm. Okay. I guess you're good enough for Riza for one more day."  


"I'll be sure to check in again tomorrow."   


"See that you do. Anyhoo, we gotta run, bar's not gonna open itself. Ciao!"   


As they continue through the seemingly endless maze of streets, Riza can’t help marveling at it all. At Roy, holding her hand in the open. At the flowers, grown by someone once marked for death in a valley inhospitable to life. At her friends, finding each other. At the market. The city. The future.  


Roy looks at her with a soft, quizzical smile. "What are you thinking about over there?"

“Happy endings,” she says, and leans in to kiss him.   



End file.
